Ghent Altarpiece

circa 1432

Why is it canonical?

Italian patrons of oil painting and art more generally came to regard Jan van Eyck as the inventor of oil painting, given the influence of Flemish painting on European artistic tastes and van Eyck's dominance of the medium. This triptych, painted with stunning detail and attention to human form, raised the bar for oil painting and naturalism, and became one of the most celebrated works of art in Europe at the time.